Sharks star Nicho Hynes was at his brilliant best in his side’s 44-6 thrashing of the Cowboys, and one Origin great believes the reigning Dally M winner has done enough to earn the New South Wales number 6 jersey.
Hynes collected a personal haul of 20 points, recorded five tackle busts and a try assist in a man-of-the-match performance, adding ammunition to the case he should usurp Jarome Luai as Blues five-eighth.
Who will run onto Adelaide Oval for Game I wearing the NSW number 6 is one of the most intriguing Origin position battles, with incumbent Luai, Hynes, and Cody Walker the three players in the running.
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Luai may not be in the same vein of form as Hynes and Walker are this season, but his club partnership with Panthers halfback and walk-in NSW starter Nathan Cleary gives him an edge.
Tallis said that shouldn’t matter though, believing Hynes possesses all the attributes required in the Origin arena
“I wouldn’t want to play against Nicho. You just don’t (want to),” Tallis said on the Late Show with Matty Johns.
“He’s a big body, he can beat you with his running game, beat you with his passing and kicking game as well.
“You’d think he’d fit in (to the NSW system). He’s fit into two systems already (Storm and Sharks) and he’s made it work.”
Sharks Press Conference | 05:32
Matty Johns also thinks Hynes’s form has made it very hard for Brad Fittler to leave him out of the side, citing the Sharks fullback’s versatility as a key trait.
“If he’s not six, he has to be 14, but I think he’s picked as six,” Johns said.
“What an advantage it is for a playmaker to have a fullback’s athleticism, it makes you triple the threat.
“He can play either side as well, but he’s left side centric which suits Nathan Cleary as Nathan likes the right side of the field.”
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Co-panellist Nathan Hindmarsh thinks the Blues should consider keeping the Penrith combination “together”, but agrees that Hynes should be somewhere in the 1-17.
“I do like the combinations. I like Luai, Cleary, Yeo combination as they’ve been there, they’ve done it before, even though they might not have won the series last year.”
I understand Luai and Cleary have a great combination and I understand their incumbency, but they did lose last series,” Johns retorted.
“Incumbency carries a lot of merit after you come off a winning series.”
